Fortuna Düsseldorf facts for kids

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Fortuna Düsseldorf

Full name

Düsseldorfer Turn- und Sportverein
Fortuna 1895 e.V.

Nickname(s)

Flingeraner, Fortunen, F95

Founded

5 May 1895; 130 years ago

Ground

Merkur Spiel-Arena

Capacity

54,600

Board members

Alexander Jobst (Chair)
Klaus Allofs
Arnd Hovemann

Head coach

Daniel Thioune

League

2. Bundesliga

2020–21

2. Bundesliga, 5th of 18

Home colours

Away colours

Third colours

Fortuna Düsseldorf is a famous German football club. It is based in the city of Düsseldorf, which is in North Rhine-Westphalia. The team currently plays in the 2. Bundesliga, which is the second-highest football league in Germany.

The club was started in 1895. Fortuna Düsseldorf joined the main football league in Germany in 1913. They were one of the top teams from the early 1920s until the Bundesliga started in 1963. Fortuna Düsseldorf won the German championship once in 1933. They also won the German cup, called the DFB-Pokal, two times in 1979 and 1980. Their best result in European football was reaching the final of the Cup Winners Cup in 1979. They lost that game to Barcelona.

Fortuna Düsseldorf: A Football Journey

How the Club Started and Early Success

The club's story began on May 5, 1895. A gymnastics club called Turnverein Flingern was formed in a village near Düsseldorf. Later, two other football clubs, Düsseldorfer Fußballklub Spielverein (started in 1908) and FK Alemania 1911 (started in 1911), joined together. They became Düsseldorfer Fußball-Club Fortuna 1911.

In 1919, Turnverein Flingern joined with Fortuna 1911. This created the club we know today: Düsseldorfer Turn- und Sportverein Fortuna. By the late 1920s, Fortuna started winning big. They won local league titles in 1927 and 1929. In 1928, Ernst Albrecht became the first Fortuna player to play for the German national team.

The 1930s were a golden age for Fortuna. They won the Western German football championship in 1931. Their biggest success was winning the German football championship in 1933. They beat Schalke 04 3–0 in the final. Fortuna was the first team to win the title without letting in any goals in the final matches. They were the first national champions from the industrial Rhine-Ruhr area.

After this, the club played in the Gauliga Niederrhein. This was one of the top leagues in Germany at the time. Düsseldorf was very strong in this league. They won it five times between 1936 and 1940. They also reached the national championship final in 1936 and the German cup final in 1937.

Some of the most famous players from this time were Paul Janes, Stanislaus Kobierski, Ernst Albrecht, and Jakob Bender. Paul Janes played for Germany many times. Stanislaus Kobierski scored Germany's first-ever FIFA World Cup goal.

After World War II

After World War II, Fortuna Düsseldorf was re-formed in 1945. They played in the Oberliga West, which was the top league before the Bundesliga. They were usually a mid-table team. However, they reached the DFB-Pokal final three times in 1957, 1958, and 1962. They lost all three finals.

During this time, famous players like Toni Turek played for Fortuna. Turek was the goalkeeper for West Germany's "Miracle of Bern" team that won the 1954 World Cup. Erich Juskowiak and future national team coach Jupp Derwall also played for Fortuna.

The 1960s and 1970s: Bundesliga and Cup Glory

Fortuna Düsseldorf did not get into the first Bundesliga in 1963. But they earned their spot three years later, playing in the 1966–67 season. They were relegated right away. However, they returned to the Bundesliga in 1971 and stayed there for 16 seasons. They finished third in the league twice, in 1972–73 and 1973–74.

On December 9, 1978, Fortuna beat Bayern Munich 7–1. This is still Bayern's biggest away loss in Bundesliga history! Fortuna also did very well in the DFB-Pokal. After losing the final in 1978, they finally won the cup in 1979 by beating Hertha BSC 1–0. They won it again in 1980, beating 1. FC Köln 2–1. They even set a record by winning 18 DFB-Pokal matches in a row!

Fortuna's best performance in a European competition was in the 1979 European Cup Winners' Cup Final. They lost 4–3 to Barcelona in extra time. It was a very exciting game! Many of the players during this successful period were from Düsseldorf or became famous while playing for the club. These included the Allofs brothers (Klaus Allofs and Thomas Allofs), Gerd Zewe, Dieter Herzog, and Rudi Bommer.

From the 1980s to the New Century

After being relegated in 1987, Fortuna Düsseldorf moved between different leagues. They played in the Bundesliga for five more seasons in 1989–92 and 1995–97. They even dropped as low as the fourth division in 2002–04. The club had some financial problems during this time.

Interestingly, between 2001 and 2003, the German punk rock band Die Toten Hosen sponsored the club. This helped Fortuna with their money issues.

Recent Seasons: Ups and Downs

In 2008–09, Fortuna finished second in the newly formed 3. Liga. This meant they were promoted to the 2. Bundesliga. In their first season back, 2009–10, they finished fourth. They were the only team in the top three German leagues to be unbeaten at home that season!

The 2011–12 season was very exciting. Fortuna was in first place at the halfway point, with no losses! They ended up in third place, which qualified them for a playoff against Hertha BSC to get into the Bundesliga. Fortuna won the first game 2–1 in Berlin. The second game in Düsseldorf was a draw, which meant Fortuna was promoted to the Bundesliga!

This promotion was special for team captain Andreas Lambertz. He became the first player in German football history to be promoted three times with the same club, from the fourth division all the way to the Bundesliga.

Fortuna started the 2012–13 Bundesliga season well. But they had a tough end to the season and were relegated back to the 2. Bundesliga. This led to a few years where Fortuna struggled. They often fought to avoid relegation and rarely challenged for promotion.

In March 2016, Friedhelm Funkel became the coach. He brought more stability and success to the club. In the 2017–18 season, even after losing some key players, Fortuna started very strong. They stayed near the top of the table all year. They secured promotion to the Bundesliga and then won the 2. Bundesliga championship! This was Funkel's sixth promotion as a coach, a German record.

Fortuna Düsseldorf's return to the Bundesliga in 2018–19 was met with great excitement. They played very well against top teams like Borussia Dortmund and even got a 3–3 draw against Bayern Munich. Dodi Lukebakio scored all three goals in that game! Fortuna finished 10th in the Bundesliga, their highest league finish since 1989–90.

Sponsorships

For the 2017–18 season, the online sports betting website Tipbet continued its partnership with Fortuna. This deal helps Fortuna with marketing and promotions.

Current Players

Fortuna Düsseldorf has a team of talented players. The current captain is André Hoffmann. Other important players include Felix Klaus, Matthias Zimmermann, and Florian Kastenmeier, who is the goalkeeper. The team also has players on loan from other clubs, like Robert Kwasigroch from Hertha BSC.

Club Achievements

Fortuna Düsseldorf has won many titles throughout its history:

In Germany

German Championship: 1933
- Runners-up: 1936
2. Bundesliga (Second Division): 1988–89, 2017–18
Regionalliga West (Second Division): 1965–66
Oberliga Nordrhein (Third Division): 1993–94

Cup Competitions

DFB-Pokal (German Cup): 1978–79, 1979–80
- Runners-up: 1936–37, 1956–57, 1957–58, 1961–62, 1977–78

International Competitions

European Cup Winners' Cup
- Runners-up: 1978–79
Intertoto Cup: 1967, 1984, 1986

Regional Titles

Western German Championship: 1930–31
Gauliga Niederrhein/Berg-Mark (Top League): 1926–27, 1927–28, 1928–29, 1930–31, 1931–32, 1932–33, 1935–36, 1936–37, 1937–38, 1938–39, 1939–40, 1946–47

Recent Seasons in Detail

Here's a quick look at Fortuna Düsseldorf's performance in the last five seasons:

Season	League	Tier	Position	DFB-Pokal	Av. Home Attendance	Top Scorer(s)
2019–20	Bundesliga	1	17th	QF	30,581	Rouwen Hennings (15)
2020–21	2. Bundesliga	2	5th	Round 2	441	Rouwen Hennings (9)
2021–22	2. Bundesliga	2	10th	Round 2	17,526	Rouwen Hennings (13)
2022–23	2. Bundesliga	2	4th	Round of 16	29,420	Dawid Kownacki (14)
2023–24	2. Bundesliga	2	3rd	Semifinals	39,672	Christos Tzolis (22)

Famous Players Who Played for Germany

Many Fortuna players have also played for the German national team. Here are some of them:

Ernst Albrecht (1928–34)
Klaus Allofs (1978–81)
Jakob Bender (1933–35)
Rudi Bommer (1984)
Jupp Derwall (1954)
Reiner Geye (1972–74)
Dieter Herzog (1974)
Paul Janes (1932–42) - He played for Germany 71 times!
Erich Juskowiak (1953–59)
Stanislaus Kobierski (1931–41)
Anton Turek (1950–54)
Gerd Zewe (1978–79)

Home Stadiums

Fortuna Düsseldorf has played in several stadiums over the years:

Lichtplatz (1908–19)
Vennhauser Straße (1919–30)
Paul-Janes-Stadion (used at different times, including 1930–53 and 2002–05)
Rheinstadion (1953–70, 1972–2002)
LTU Arena/Esprit Arena/Merkur Spiel-Arena (since 2005) - This is their current home stadium.
Lena-Arena (April–May 2011)

Cool Records and Firsts

1928: Fortuna was the first German team to visit Africa for friendly football games.
1960: They were the first German team to sign an African player (Charles Gyamfi).
1978: Fortuna beat Bayern Munich 7–1. This is still Bayern's worst away loss in Bundesliga history!
1978–1981: They won 18 DFB-Pokal matches in a row, a record!
2009: Fortuna set a record for the highest attendance in Germany's third division. 50,095 fans watched them win and get promoted to the 2. Bundesliga.

Rivalries and Fan Culture

Fortuna's biggest rival is 1. FC Köln. This is because Düsseldorf and Cologne are close cities with a long history of rivalry. However, these teams don't play each other often now because they are usually in different leagues.

Other historic rivals include Rot-Weiss Essen, Bayer 04 Leverkusen, and Wuppertaler SV. Some fans don't like Bayer Leverkusen because they get a lot of money from the Bayer company. They call them "plastic" because they don't have as much history as other clubs.

Fortuna also has a rivalry with FC Bayern Munich. Even though Fortuna hasn't won the Bundesliga since the 1930s, games against Bayern are always exciting. In 1975, Fortuna came back from being down 4–2 to win 6–5! And, as mentioned, they beat Bayern 7–1 in 1978. The band Die Toten Hosen, who are big Fortuna fans, even wrote a song called "Bayern" about beating them.

Fortuna Düsseldorf has a very strong and passionate fan base. The "ultra" fans in the stadium are known for their amazing displays and loud support.

The band Die Toten Hosen are not just fans; they also helped the club when it had money problems. They were sponsors for two seasons (2001–03) when Fortuna was in a lower league.

Futsal Team

Since 2015, Fortuna Düsseldorf also has a futsal team. Futsal is a type of indoor football. Their futsal team has become one of the best in Germany. They even helped start the Futsal Bundesliga!

Images for kids

Historical chart of Fortuna league performance
Esprit arena in Düsseldorf. View from the Warsteiner Tribüne. Match: Fortuna Düsseldorf vs. FC St. Pauli.